IMPRISONED

CHAPTER TWO

“My son is not a murderer!”

Sarah stood in front of the Deputy Police Officer in charge of Elijah’s case. Her eyes were already filled with tears.

She wasn't ready to accept that her only son could harm anyone.

“He went out to evangelize this morning,” she said. “How did he become a murderer?”

The officer remained calm.

Elijah's parents had arrived at the police station shortly after their son was taken away. They had asked to see the officer in charge, but getting into his office had not been easy.

“We want to see the officer in charge,” Sarah had said when they first approached the officer at the counter.

“You can't see him.”

“What do you mean we can't see him?”

“I said you can't see him.”

“Sir, please, allow us to see him,” Elijah's father had pleaded.

He had been unusually quiet since they arrived at the station.

The officer refused.

Elijah's father eventually gave up, but Sarah wasn't ready to.

She kept insisting until they were finally allowed to see the DPO.

Now they sat in front of him, hoping he would tell them that there had been a mistake.

Instead, the look on his face told them otherwise.

“I know my son,” Sarah said. “I know what he is capable of doing. He was implicated.”

“Madam, we have enough reasons to believe that your son is the murderer,” the officer replied.

“What reasons could that be?”

Sarah's voice rose.

The officer leaned back in his chair.

“Your son was found at the scene with an unidentified young lady who had been shot. He was also found holding the gun.”

Sarah stared at him.

“No.”

“Yes, madam.”

“That cannot be true.”

“Those are the facts we have at the moment.”

“Officer, please help us.” Sarah dropped to her knees. “This must be some sort of misunderstanding. Someone must have done this to frame him.”

“Madam, there is nothing we can do for you.”

Sarah looked up at him.

“What do you mean?”

“He will be charged to court after the investigation is completed. From there, he will be transferred to the state prison.”

Sarah's eyes widened.

“State prison?”

She could hardly believe what she was hearing.

Elijah's father remained silent.

He sat beside his wife, staring at the floor.

Elijah was everything to them.

Sarah turned toward him.

“Why are you quiet?”

Her husband didn't answer.

“Won't you say something?” she asked.

Still nothing.

“What father would sit quietly when his son is being accused of murder?”

Her husband finally looked at her.

“What if he actually did it?”

Sarah stared at him.

For a moment, she couldn't believe what she had heard.

“What?”

“What if he did it?” he repeated. “What if all these years, he has only been pretending to be good?”

Sarah shook her head.

“No. Don't say that about our son.”

“What if he has another side we don't know about?”

“My son is not a pretender!”

The DPO cleared his throat.

“You know, the children of nowadays can be manipulative. Sometimes, they are not who we think they are.”

Sarah turned sharply toward him.

“You don't know my son.”

The officer sighed.

“Madam, I'm only telling you what we have found.”

Sarah wiped her tears.

“Can we at least see him?”

The officer nodded.

“Sure.”

---

Elijah opened his eyes.

A loud pain throbbed through his head.

For a few seconds, he couldn't remember where he was.

Everything around him looked blurry.

Then he saw the prison door.

Everything that had happened earlier came rushing back.

The arrest.

The police.

The crowd.

The cell.

The man who had grabbed his singlet.

Elijah slowly sat up.

For a moment, he had thought he had died.

Maybe that would have been better.

At least he wouldn't have to face the shame of being called a murderer.

His stomach suddenly rumbled.

He hadn't eaten anything since morning.

His mind went straight to home.

His mother had prepared his favourite food that morning—stir-fried spaghetti with chicken.

He had refused to eat because he was already running late for evangelism.

“You are rejecting my food, right?” his mother had asked.

“Mummy, I'm not rejecting it. When I get back, I'll eat. Just reserve mine in the cooler.”

He had rushed out of the house.

Now he wished he had stayed long enough to eat.

He closed his eyes.

If only he could go back home.

“Hey, you!”

Elijah opened his eyes.

“Wetin be your name?”

It was the same inmate who had approached him earlier.

Elijah's hand began to shake.

Two other inmates stood behind the man.

“I say wetin be your name?” the man asked again.

Elijah opened his mouth, but no words came out.

The inmate rubbed his beard.

“Why you con dey shake like jellyfish?”

He laughed.

The other two men laughed with him.

Elijah didn't understand what was funny.

The inmate stepped closer.

“I dey ask you question.”

Elijah swallowed.

“My… my name is…”

Before he could finish, the sound of keys jingling interrupted him.

A police officer was unlocking the prison door.

“You, murderer,” the officer called. “You have visitors.”

The door opened.

Elijah almost sighed with relief.

“Thank God,” he whispered.

The inmates moved aside and allowed him to pass.

Elijah followed the officer out of the cell.

For a moment, he felt free.

He hoped he would not have to return.

All he wanted was to go home.

---

His hands were cuffed as the officer led him to the visitation room.

His parents were already waiting.

The moment Elijah saw them, he lowered his head.

He was ashamed.

He didn't want to look into their eyes.

His mother rushed toward him.

“My son!”

She held his face between her hands and looked at him carefully, checking for any injuries.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

Elijah couldn't answer.

“Fifteen minutes,” the police officer said.

He moved to the corner of the room and stood there.

Silence filled the room.

Sarah wiped her tears.

Elijah's father stared at his son.

None of them seemed to know what to say.

Finally, his father spoke.

“Talk to me.”

Elijah looked at him.

“Did you do it?”

The question broke something inside him.

“Daddy…”

“I want you to tell me the truth.”

“I didn't do it.”

His father continued staring at him.

“I only saw her dying. She was lying in a pool of blood, so I tried to help her.”

His father frowned.

“You tried to help her?”

“Yes.”

“Like the good Samaritan that you are?”

Elijah became silent.

“Why didn't you call the police?”

“I was only trying to stop the bleeding.”

“What were you doing there in the first place?”

Elijah hesitated.

His father noticed.

“Why are you stammering?”

“Daddy, I'm telling you the truth.”

His father looked away.

He seemed unable to process everything.

“Believe me,” Elijah whispered.

His father stood up.

He was angry, but Elijah could see that there was something else behind his anger.

Fear.

Disappointment.

Confusion.

Without saying another word, his father walked out of the room.

“Daddy!”

Elijah tried to follow him, but the handcuffs stopped him.

Sarah immediately held his hands.

“I believe you,” she said through her tears. “Don't worry. I'll talk to your father.”

She picked up her bag and hurried after her husband.

Elijah watched them leave.

He had thought they would come with good news.

He had hoped they would tell him that he would be released.

Instead, he was still going back to the cell.

His heart sank.

“Dad! Mum!”

He turned toward the door.

“Don't let them take me back to the cell!”

The police officer walked toward him.

“Come.”

“No, please!”

Elijah resisted.

“Please, I don't want to go back there.”

The officer grabbed his arm.

“Move.”

“Dad! Mum!”

His parents didn't turn back.

The officer led him out of the visitation room.

And once again, Elijah was taken back to the cell.